Dreams and Delusions
by Nobody's Requiem
Summary: Sora has returned to the Realm of Sleep to train after his Mark of Mastery exam, but when he returns, a new threat has come upon the Sleeping Worlds. Will a pair of petite powerhouses be perfect for protecting the peace? Or will the new threat to the world of dreams prove too perilous? Read to find out... or I'll punish you!
1. Traverse Town

Sora jolted awake. The feeling was just like that of his first foray into the Realm of Sleep. His location was the same as well—Traverse Town. After the haunting speech he'd heard from the young menace at the end of his last adventure, he was slightly unhappy at seeing it. _You've been here many times._ He shivered, and shook his head. He was back now, back for another adventure in this sleeping place, and he was here to train. No time for the phantoms of the past to plague him. Running into the pavilion of the First District, he looked around, searching for his friends.

"Now, where are they?" he said, turning about. "They should still be here…" A small noise that sounded like a mix of a woof and a purr came from the top of the stairs, and Meow Wow came bolting down the steps, followed by Kooma Panda and Necho Cat. They pounced on Sora, and he laughed, petting the smaller Spirits as he relaxed into the soft bulk of the larger one. "I missed you guys!" The sound of a throat being cleared startled Sora out of his reunion. Joshua walked onto the scene from the door to Third District, and chuckled.

"You're always such a kid Sora…" he said. Sora puffed up.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" he said testily. Joshua laughed.

"It was a compliment," he said, holding the back of his hand to his mouth. "It's by and large one of your best qualities." Sora relaxed a bit, and laughed along with him.

"Oh, really? What are some others?" Joshua shook his head.

"Definitely not compliment fishing…" he said. He then became serious. "Sora… I know you're back here for some training, but there's something else you're here for." Sora looked at him, confused. "You see… I've noticed some changes in the behaviors of the Dream Eaters—both the Spirits and the Nightmares."

"What kind of changes?" Sora asked.

"Well, you see… there's a new enemy invading the Realm of Sleep, where this world and quite a few others exist," Joshua started.

"What do you mean by 'quite a few others'?" Sora was puzzled. "I thought Riku and I had unlocked all seven sleeping Keyholes." Joshua nodded.

"Indeed you did, Sora. However, there were more than just seven sleeping worlds. Those seven were simply the ones that lead you to the conclusion of your exam." He waved a hand over the backdrop of the starry sky above Traverse Town. "In truth, many worlds slumber still after you brought them back from the darkness."

"So, do I… Am I supposed to find those Sleeping Keyholes as well?" Sora asked. Joshua shrugged.

"It'd probably be the right thing to do," he conceded. "However, the thing you're here to do is to defend the Realm of Sleep from a new threat." A scream sounded from the Third district, and Joshua and Sora jerked their heads towards the door. "That was Shiki!"

Sora dashed towards the door, and his friend in danger. Bursting into the open terrace, Sora ducked quickly into the causeway the lead around the edge. A strange looking man with a white shirt, yellow pants with black stripes, and a poofy yellow and orange mop of hair was standing not too far away from Shiki. Joshua joined him, and they observed at a distance.

"Don't worry, my pretty," he purred. "I'm just here to see if your lovely dreams are hiding him." Shiki trembled, and backed away.

"Who are you?" she said. "Just you wait… Neku will come rescue me!" The man laughed.

"I'm sure he will…" He advanced like a cat. "Now, let me see into those beautiful dreams." He snapped his fingers, and a large red slab popped up behind Shiki. "One!" It smacked against her back. "Two!" Metal cuffs locked her into place. "Three!" Shiki began to cry out as if she was in pain as a bright light formed in the middle of her chest. Sora started to rush out to help, but Joshua held him back.

"Not yet," he said. "We'll get her as soon as that shine goes away." Sora nodded. The shine eventually became a piercing light before settling into dim glow. The glow was coming from a pink mirror hovering over Shiki's chest. The man laughed.

"See this?" he said. "This is your Dream Mirror. With it, I can take a peek into your dreams, and see if you're hiding him from me." With that, he grabbed the edges of the mirror and shoved his head in. Shiki wailed in pain.

"No, stop!" she said. "Those are my dreams! Don't look at them!" She screamed again, and then fainted. The man pulled his head out.

"Drat!" he hissed. "These are some beautiful dreams alright—hopes and aspirations to make some guy happy—but they don't include _him_."

"Stop right there!" Sora said, running out from the place where he'd been watching. Joshua followed close behind. The man turned to face him. "I don't know who you are, but I won't let you hurt my friend." The man laughed.

"Wow, you're clueless kid," he said. "Nightmare auto-doll, Karakuriko, come out and get rid of this pin-cushion for me, will ya?" His shadow extended, and from it raised a Nightmare. It had detached arms, a detached torso, and legs that joined to a set of hips. Its head spun around in a full three-sixty, and it glared at Sora. It was white and blue, and looked like some sort of deranged puppet.

"Kara-Kara-Kara-Kara-Karakuriko!" it said. Its arms lashed out, grabbing Sora by the wrists and raising him into the air while the legs went after Joshua, kicking and sweeping—all he could do was dodge the fast attacks. The torso also arose into the air with Sora, mouth open wide. A blade tip poked out, and Sora panicked. It lashed out, and he had to roll his body out of the way to avoid being stabbed. On the ground, Joshua was finally at the end of his rope when he got pinned down by the legs, which then straddled his chest. Sora dodged the blade again, grunting from the amount of energy it took just to swing his body.

"Isn't there anyone who can help us?" he cried out. At that moment, something collided with the Nightmare, ricocheted into the arms, and bounced off of the legs before returning to a slender, white-gloved hand. Sora landed on his feet, and looked for the person who had helped him.

"You're naughty Nightmare doll is done for!" said the girl holding a golden tiara. Striking a heroic pose, she stared down the man. "I am Sailor Moon!" Running out from behind her, a small girl with pink hair struck the same pose.

"And I'm Sailor Mini-Moon!" They smoothly transitioned to a different pose in sync, never letting their stare waver. They even began to talk in sync. "And in the name of the moon… We shall punish you!" The man growled.

"How is it that I, the great Tiger's Eye, could be opposed by silly kids like these!?" he stamped his foot. "Karakuriko, get them!" The doll pulled itself together, and then went for Sora. He dodged, and Sailor Mini-Moon went down on one knee.

"Pegasus, please!" she called out. "Help us protect people's dreams!" She held up what looked like a bell with a heart-shaped handle. "Crystal Twinkle Yell!" A bright light shimmered and illuminated the entire square. A winged unicorn, pure white except for the golden Spirit symbol on its chest, appeared.

"Sailor Soldiers… This young man will be your greatest ally," said a soft male voice. Sora supposed it must be the Spirit. "I shall grant him my powers as well, whenever you three are together, so that you may all help each other dispel this terrible threat." With that, its golden horn glowed, and Sora's Keyblade began to shine.

"What the…?" Sora said, gazing at his weapon. "What's going on here?"

"Sora, you must unseal the Nightmare Sigil from the creature before Sailor Moon can finish it off," the voice said. Sora nodded, and pointed the tip of the Keyblade at the Nightmare. It hissed, and a radiant beam of light shot from his Keyblade, hitting the Nightmare symbol and causing it to shatter.

"What the—!? What'd you do?" Tiger's Eye cried. Sailor Moon smiled, struck an attack pose, and then thrust what looked like a short, red sword towards the monster. It turned to face her just in time to be hit by a sphere of light. A distorted cry that sounded like 'stage out' ripped from its mouth before it shattered like glass and faded into darkness. Tiger's Eye growled again, backing away.

"I'll get you…" he said, before jumping through a flaming hoop and disappearing. Joshua ran to catch Shiki as she fell to the ground, the red slab supporting her having vanished. The two girls and Sora followed suit. Sora held out his hand.

"Hi, my name's Sora," he said. "It's nice to meet you." Sailor Moon, smiled, and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you too, Sora! My real name's Serena, and this is Rini." She gestured to the pink-haired girl.

"Nice to meet you," Rini said, bowing slightly. Sora laughed, and then blinked.

"Hey, wait… That Spirit said you guys were gonna be my allies…" he said, hand to his chin in thought. "Does that mean… you two are going to travel with me to different worlds?" Serena nodded.

"Sounds like it, Sora!" she laughed. Sora shrugged, and Joshua stood up.

"Shiki's gonna be fine," he said. "These two are also a key part of that thing I was talking to you about earlier, Sora. Pegasus is essential to defeating those special Nightmares." Sora nodded.

"Right then… So, who's ready to go?"


	2. Golden Terraces

**A great big 'thank you' to everyone who was kind enough to read my first chapter and review it, add it to their watch list, favorite it, and everything else! I love you guys, and I'm sending all that positive energy and encouragement right back to ya! ^.^ I'm hoping the fact that this chapter is kinda long will make up for all the time it took to upload it. Enjoy!**

"Wha-hahahahahahaha!" shrieked a thousand voices at once. Tiger's Eye grunted and turned red as his colleagues laughed at his recent failure. A man with pink hair strode up to him, smug grin painted on his face.

"They're saying you couldn't handle a trio of children," the man said, words slithering snidely from his mouth. Tiger's Eye growled.

"Oh yeah, Hawk's Eye?" he yelled. "Well, I'd like to see you fight those pipsqueaks! It's not like they were normal kids, anyway…" He pretended to hold a sword and slashed the air. "The one kid even had a giant key-shaped weapon, and it did something to my Nightmare."

"You're just making up excuses like always, Tiger's Eye," drawled a girly voice. From the shadows rolled a man dressed in flowing blue clothing, his aqua-colored hair pulled into a ponytail. Jumping off of the ball, he patted Tiger's Eye on the back. "But hey, we all have those kinds of days… or at least, we would if we failed on our first mission!" He giggled, and danced away as the taller man swiped at him, and Hawk's Eye laughed in earnest.

"I think I'll take you up on your challenge," he said. "I'll take the next assignment from Ringmaster Zirconia." Tiger's Eye scoffed, then shrugged.

"Fine, but when you fail like I did, you'd better not expect any sympathy from me." With that, he stalked away, and the effeminate man giggled again.

"Two nights of Nightmare duty says you fail like mop-top did," he said. Hawk's Eye glared.

"Shut up, Fisheye," he said, and stormed off like his comrade.

In another part of the circus, a dimly lit chamber held a tall, ornate mirror at its center. The dark glass seemed to be unnatural in its gleam, as if the mirror were sucking in all the light around it to produce its reflection. The surface of the mirror shifted for a moment, and then in it was the silhouette of a tall woman with flowing hair.

"Zirconia!" The elderly ringmaster flinched at the harsh summons, but stepped up to the mirror nonetheless.

"Yes, my queen?" she said, bowing deeply. The shadowy figure in the mirror stood there, hair flowing even though there was no wind. She smiled, which Zirconia knew was not a good thing. It was _never_ a good thing.

"Zirconia, correct me if I'm wrong, but this place… It is made of dreams, yes?" she asked. Zirconia nodded. "And, again, tell me if I misspeak, but Helios is a being of pure and beautiful dreams, is he not?"

"You are correct, my queen," Zirconia said. "Helios has hidden himself here where he knows he is strongest in an attempt to evade you my queen… but we are working our hardest to—" Ruby red nails raked down the glass like claws; the screech was utterly unbearable.

"Then tell me why it is that I am not free yet!" the irascible queen screamed, all of her original sweetness turned to bitter rage. "I don't care if you're trying your hardest if your hardest _does not release me_ from this prison!" Panting and seething, the spindly scratches marring the glass of the mirror's interior slowly healed themselves, and she returned to her reserved demeanor with them.

"I… understand, my queen," Zirconia said slowly. "I will set the Amazon Trio to the job with all haste." The mirror shimmered, and the queen was no longer present. Looking to Zircon, she glared at the flaming eyeball. "Find me a target."

Wind rushed past his head as Sora dove through his dreams into the next Slumbering World, completely unaware of the events unfolding worlds away. Hopefully, this Dive would be a step closer to stopping this new threat. Serena rushed past him, spinning and twirling, absolutely enthralled with the experience of the Dive. Rini caught up with Sora, and the smiled at each other and laughed at Serena's antics.

"Is she always like that?" Sora shouted over the rushing wind. Rini nodded as best she could.

"Yeah, she's such a kid," she said, grimacing slightly before laughing. "Then again, it's one of the things that make her so likeable." Sora nodded, and then shouted, as a large Nightmare blew past them, grabbing Rini as it went. Serena turned as it passed, and tried to grab onto it, but couldn't seem to grip it. Sora brought his arms in and dropped faster, catching up with Serena.

"It's no use!" she said. "I can't get a good hold on it and I can't pull Rini free!" Sora nodded, then gave his best 'I've got this' smile.

"Don't worry," he said. "You're good at taking out the special Nightmares, but I can handle the ones during a Dive." With that, he pulled his arms in again, and sped towards the Nightmare. It looked like a Brawlamari, except… the head was more rounded, like an octopus… Chuckling to himself, Sora nicknamed it the Takowondo, and then closed in on it.

"Sora, hurry up!" Rini said, struggling with the tentacle holding her. "This thing is squeezing me like toothepaste!" Looking at the Nightmare, Sora took note of the rainbow-colored, glowing orbs that were at various positions on its tentacles. The first target would have to be the one on the tentacle holding Rini.

Accelerating, he brought down the Keyblade on the prismatic globe, then laid into it with another two hits, tacking on the finisher and shouting in joy as it broke, and the thing's appendage seemed to fall apart. Serena rushed in, snatching up Rini as Sora went in for another go at the Nightmare, but it pulled to the side and shook a tentacle at him before disappearing.

Gritting his teeth that the Nightmare got away, Sora didn't know until after the glowing ring passed by that he was nearing the end of his dive. Serena hugged Rini close, and the pink-haired girl giggled.

"Serena, you're so useless…" she said, sticking her tongue out. The meatball-head flared up at that comment.

"What was that, you ungrateful little toad!?" she yelled, shaking Rini. "I tried my darnedest to get you away from that thing!"

"Yeah, good thing for me Sora was here or I'd be a goner for sure."

"I cannot believe you are such a thankless little brat!" Sora blinked, and then laughed. The two of them stopped their bickering, and looked at him. "What's… so funny?" Serena asked. Sora shook his head.

"It's the stuff like that that proves you two really care for each other." They gave him a confused look, but he only shook his head. "Get ready, guys, we're about to make a landing."

After landing, Sora blinked himself aware of his surroundings. Looking around, he didn't see Rini or Serena, which made him sigh in exasperation. He made a mental note that whenever they finished a Dive, they needed to hold hands from now on. Looking around, he figured he was at the entrance of some city. It was pretty big, and the biggest building looked like it had a face on it… That particular feature made Sora realize that all the buildings had carvings on them; most of them were faces.

"Where did I end up this time?" he said, scratching the back of his head. He saw a person with a huge bag hanging off his shoulder sneaking around and… singing? "What is this kook up to?" Sora pursued the guy, catching up with him at a waterfall.

"So, I just dump him in, and Yzma won't yell at me…" he said, "but isn't that wrong?" He then seemed to converse with his shoulders. "You bring up an excellent point, me, but what he's saying also seems like good advice." Sora gawked at him. Was he insane?

"Hey, you!" he called out. The man flinched and gave a squeak a little too high pitched for someone of his size. "I don't know what you're up to, but you're acting suspicious. Put that bag down, and back off!" The man looked one way, then the other, and then bolted. Sora grunted. "They never just act normal…"

Sora ran after him, calling out for him to stop—berating himself mentally afterwards. When did the bad guys ever stop? It didn't help that the people off to the sides of the street were just looking at them funny. Just as Sora was worried he might have to resort to Flowmotion in the middle of this very much inhabited area, the guy looked like he tripped or something while going down a flight of stairs. Reaching the stairs, Sora was able to see why he'd tripped. A black cat was attached to his face, and the bag was gone.

Slipping into an alley to observe, he watched as the suspicious man looked around for the bag in vain before he squared his shoulders and walking back up the stairs. As he passed by the alley, Sora heard him muttering to himself.

"Yzma's gonna kill me when I tell her… No… No, I'll just tell her I did it, and she'll never know the difference. At least, I hope she won't… I really hope this doesn't come back to haunt me…"

Sora watched him go for another minute before shrugging. Right now, he needed to find Serena and Rini and try and sort out whatever was wrong with this world. Whatever was going on with this Yzma person and that bag would have to wait.

Just outside the city, Hawk's Eye scoffed at the photo Zircon had presented him with before setting out on his mission. This woman looked like a mommy-type even without the round belly. He had raised questions about looking into a pregnant woman's dreams due to the possibility he might instead pull out the unborn's Dream Mirror. Zirconia assured him that babies did not dream, and sent him on his way. Whatever, his job wasn't to care about babies—his job was to find Pegasus.

Walking along a rickety wooden bridge, he glared at seeing a pair of young girls and a man with a cart proceeding along the bridge in the opposite direction. He'd decided to check the large city first for this woman, but he didn't want to be spotted on the way—the fewer the people, the fewer the questions. Just as the older girl seemed to take notice of him, he was gone into a flash of feathers and a swirl of wind, only to reappear on the other side of the bridge. Serena blinked, and rubbed the back of her head.

"Guess I must be buggin'," she said, laughing a little. "I could have sworn I saw someone else on the bridge just now!" Rini snickered.

"How just like you, Serena!" she said. "Even when we're trying to get something done, you're off daydreaming!" Serena glared at Rini. Pacha just laughed a little to himself.

"You two remind me of my own kids," he said, and then he grimaced a little and sighed. Rini and Serena blinked, before looking guilty.

"We're sorry, Pacha," Serena said. "We didn't mean to remind you about your problem." Pacha smiled. It was going to be hard, telling his family that they would have to leave the hill where their village was. He was heartbroken.

Just then, Sora managed to pop up at the bridge. He smiled—anyone could recognize those meatball heads. Unfortunately, he was himself recognized—Hawk's Eye scowled at this new development.

"So, the Key-boy is here?" he snapped his fingers, and a pair of Halbirds materialized at the end of the bridge Sora was approaching from. He smirked. "Sorry, Keyslinger, but I'm afraid that you're about to be taking one heck of a cliff diving lesson." With that, the two Nightmares slashed through the ropes holding up that end of the bridge, and Sora, Pacha, and the girls only had a split second to grab onto the planks. Thankfully, the llama and the cart she was drawing made it onto the ledge in all the confusion. Hawk's Eye laughed, and jumped through a hoop of swirling wind. Sora gritted his teeth.

"You guys okay?" he asked. Serena and Rini had managed to tangle themselves in the ropes. Pacha was better off, moving up the broken bridge one plank at a time. Sora heaved a sigh. "Girls…" Serena laughed.

"Sorry, Sora," she said. "I'm not too good with rope climbing." Rini shook her head.

"Maybe if you'd tried more in gymnastics classes, you wouldn't be stuck," she said, and stuck her tongue out. Serena pinched her.

"You're tangled up as well, you brat." Sora reached them quickly and helped untangle them both.

"Hey, are you alright up there?" he called up. Pacha looked down over the cliff.

"Yeah, I think I'm all right," he called down. He leaned down and offered a hand to Rini as she reached the top, and then Serena. Sora climbed onto the ledge and wiped his forehead.

"Thanks," Sora said, cheerfully as usual. "My name's Sora." He offered Pacha his hand, which he shook.

"Nice to meet you, Sora," he said. "My name is Pacha. I'm glad you and the girls are okay." Sora blinked, and looked at the two sailor soldiers.

"How'd you three meet up, anyway?" he asked. Pacha laughed, and jerked a thumb at the llama cart.

"They were helping me load up my cart," he said. "I was having a bit of trouble, and then I invited them back to my home to share a meal as my way of saying thank you." Serena and Rini smiled, and held their hands behind their back. "Now that we're all out of danger, how about we all go to my house and rest— I insist." They all nodded, and set off.

Not bothering to watch the road for the pesky people who were traveling with the spiky-haired nuisance, Hawk's Eye glared at the pair of people who had intruded on his perfect opportunity to check the target. One was a mountain of a man, though apparently he wasn't too bright… A pair of kids was occupying him with a game of jump rope. The other was an old hag who probably could've rivaled Zirconia in terms of wrinkles. That thought made him scowl a little less, but he still wasn't happy. As he scoffed, he heard the rustling of bushes told him someone was coming. It was an unpleasant surprise to see the man from before, followed closely by the two girls and Key-boy.

"Just great," he sneered. "I had hoped that would be enough to get rid of him." They circled around back, and then all sorts of trouble broke loose.

"AHHHH!" Rini and Serena screamed in unison as the scooted backwards along the ground. Pacha was also shouting. Sora seemed to be the only one who wasn't stricken by the strangeness that the red-and-black llama who'd been in a sack Pacha didn't recognize was… talking. Even the llama himself was freaking out. Everyone who had been inside came running out, only for the two people who'd prevent Hawk's Eye from striking to stare at the llama.

"It's him!" shrieked the old woman. "Kronk, get him!" The man lunged for the llama, who shook his head and ran away. Sora, who recognized Kronk from earlier, slammed into his side and the two tumbled into the grass. The old woman growled and smacked her forehead.

"Serena, Rini! You guys gotta run!" Sora yelled. He got free from the tangled mess he was in with Kronk long enough to mouth the word 'transform'. The two nodded, and disappeared. Sora got up and dusted himself off. "Okay, out with it lady! Who are you, and why are you two trying to get that llama?"

"I'm Yzma, little boy," she said coldly, "and why I want that llama is none of your business." She snapped her fingers. "Kronk, get up and get that llama!" Kronk sprang to his feet and chased after the long-gone llama. Sora chased after him, Yzma after him, Pacha after her, and the two kids after him. Chicha looked after all of them, then turned to go back into the house and gasped. Hawk's Eye had decided to take advantage of the lack of people around who could stop him.

"Who are you?" was all Chicha could manage to say. Hawk's Eye smirked.

"Oh, I'm no one important," he said. "I'm just here to see exactly what's hiding inside your dreams." He snapped his fingers. "One!" The red slab, shaped like a tombstone, pressed against her back. "Two!" Metal cuffs locked her in place. "Three." Chicha groaned in pain as her Dream Mirror was revealed. Hawk's Eye chuckled to himself. "Too easy…"

"PINK SUGAR HEART… ATTACK!" Tiny pink hearts assaulted the pink-haired man. He grunted and held up a hand to protect his face from the attack. Sailor Mini-Moon stepped out from the bushes, followed by Sailor Moon.

"You trite troublemaker!" she said, pointing a finger at the villain. "How dare you attack a woman who not only cares for two loving children and a husband, but is expecting another child as well! I cannot forgive someone who targets such helpless innocents!" She struck her pose. "I fight for love! I fight for justice too! I am Sailor Moon!" Sailor Mini-Moon joined her in her pose.

"And I am Sailor Mini-Moon!" They transitioned poses, and spoke in unison. "And in the name of the moon… we'll punish you!" Hawk's Eye glared at them.

"Great, a pair of little girls here to interrupt my work…" The two soldiers looked at each other.

"Time for some double-whammy mom protection," Sailor Moon said. She turned to Hawk's Eye. "I hope you're ready to feel the hurt, you fashion victim!" She grabbed her tiara. "MOON TIARA… ACTION!" she said, and tossed it like a dangerous frisbee. Hawk's Eye smirked, and held out a hand, stopping it in mid-air and laughing as it clattered to the ground.

"Is that all you've got, looney moon girl?" he said, and then his shadow extended. "Come on, Nightmare Cannoneer Do Kanko! Make sure these girls go out with a bang!" From his shadow, a woman with a rocket-shaped hat and poofy yellow hair appeared, her red eyes contrasting against her powder-blue skin, and the Nightmare Sigil imprinted across her chest.

"Certainly, sir," she cooed, and then produced a full-size cannon from seemingly nowhere. The two Sailors looked at it incredulously.

"Where'd she pull that thing from?" asked Sailor Mini-Moon. Sailor Moon shrugged.

"This world is made from dreams, right?" she said. "Well, then, that means that anything can happen… Nothing here was to make sense." Do Kanko climbed into her cannon at that point, and lit the fuse before plugging her ears.

"Five seconds to blast off!" she called out. Sailor Moon stared at her and waved her hand.

"You're not aiming that thing at us, are you?" She didn't wait for an answer, though, and grabbed Mini-Moon before diving out of the way. Just in time, apparently, as a second later Do Kanko was shot into the ground at high speed. She crawled out of the crater and shook her fist at the two girls.

"Hey, stand still so I can hit you!" she yelled. They looked at her as if she were crazy, but the distraction she'd provided was enough for Hawk's Eye to do his job. He looked into Chicha's Dream Mirror, causing her to scream in pain.

"Blah, blah, blah…" he said, pulling his head out from the mirror again. "A happy family, growing old and seeing her children raise their children in the same house she raised them in… It's a beautiful dream, sure, but no Pegasus in sight…" He looked over his shoulder and jumped in time to avoid a Keyblade to the head. Sora rushed onto the scene shortly after, digging his Keyblade out of the ground and pointing it at Hawk's Eye.

"Look here, you creep," he said, "I don't know who you and your friends are, but I won't allow you to go around and mess with innocent people's dreams!" Hawk's Eye scoffed.

"Whatever, Key-boy," he said. "My work here is done. Pegasus isn't hiding out in this woman's dream." With that, he disappeared into the hoop of rushing winds and was no more. Sora turned to Do Kanko, who was stuffing powder into her cannon.

"Come on, guys!" he said. The girls nodded, and Mini-Moon knelt down.

"Pegasus, please—help us protect people's dreams!" she cried out. Then she held her Rainbow Crystal Carillon up. "Crystal Twinkle Yell!" A bright light appeared in the sky, and Pegasus whinnied as he galloped in the sky. Sora's Keyblade and Sailor Moon's Kaleido-Moon-scope Wand both became filled with his power, and they nodded to each other. Sora pointed the tip of his Keyblade at the Nightmare and unsealed it's sigil.

"Moon Gorgeous… Meditation!" cried Sailor Moon. Do Kanko, ears plugged, was counting down to blast off when she opened her eyes. The attack struck her, and she cried out something along the lines of 'Stage out!' before breaking like glass and fading away. Sora gave Sailor Moon the thumbs-up.

"Nice job, guys!" he said. "I think that means we're done here…" Sora began to stride off, before he remembered: they still had to find the Sleeping Keyhole! "Wait, guys! I still need to unlock this world, and save it from slumbering in sadness." As he said that, Pegasus cantered over to the house, freeing Chicha from the red slab. Beside him, the outline of a Keyhole began to shimmer into view.

"Allow me to illuminate the path ahead, Key Bearer," he said, and then galloped off into the sky, shimmering into nothing as he went. Sora smiled, and nodded.

"Thanks, Pegasus." Holding out his Keyblade, a shaft of light pierced the Keyhole and shattered the wall behind it into light.

"Yipee! We're off to our next adventure!" sang out Mini-Moon.


	3. Windswept Wilderness

**A/N: I would like to apologize for how long this took. College has a way of distracting you from things like writing for fun, and I dearly missed doing this. A great big thank you is in order for everyone who read, reviewed, favorited, etc. my story, and I want you to know that I'm sending all that positive energy right back at ya! Also, I should hope the transitions are a bit smoother this time around... I didn't realize until now that my dividers weren't sticking when I put them into the Doc Manager. ^^; My bad...**

These Dives were a lot more straightforward than the ones during the exam had been. There weren't nearly as many obstacles, nor were there as many Nightmares barring the way. It seemed like only the big, nasty ones had held out... Why was that? Sora folded his arms and flipped over onto his back as he fell. _What could cause the lack of Dream Eaters...? Was that the problem Joshua had mentioned?_

"Sora, I think we're about ready to end the Dive!" Serena called over to him. Nodding, he strafed left, catching hold of her hand as she grabbed Rini. "Hopefully this time, we won't get separated." Sora smiled.

"Yeah, trying to find you guys is a nightmare..." he said jokingly. The girls puffed up, but the rushing of the wind overtook their words, and the trio began to fall into the dream of the sleeping World they were visiting.

Meanwhile, in a distant Tower in the Realm of Light, Yen Sid looked at the two figures standing before him. They carried an air of grim determination with them. One had short, blonde hair and a tomboyish look to her, even in the sailor outfit she was wearing. Her partner, a girl with teal hair that cascaded to her shoulders, stood just behind her. He eyed them, sizing them up, attempting to discern if what they had said was indeed true.

"Please, sir," the blonde said, "it is our sworn duty to protect our Princess, and this threat may be too much for just her and her two companions to face."

"Are you calling Sora weak?" In strode a silver-haired young man, aqua eyes fierce. "I'll have you know that he's stronger than anyone I've ever known, with a heart that could save just about anyone."

"That's the problem," the woman with teal hair said. "Hearts like that are vulnerable to the wiles and trickery of a dream." At this, Master Yen Sid spoke up.

"This is true, Riku. You should know this from your last foray into the Realm of Sleep," he said. Turning to the two young women, he inclined his head. "If what you say is true, and this... Queen Nehelenia... is attempting to create a void of dreams within the Realm of Sleep so as to affect her escape, then we must act quickly." Riku inclined his head.

"A... void of dreams?" Master Yen Sid nodded.

"According to what these girls have told me," he said, "'Queen' Nehelenia and her ilk thrive and survive by consuming the dreams of people, much like Nightmares. However, they are also capable of feeding off of the energy of the Dream Eaters themselves, creating a vacuum where once a balance of Dream and Nightmare existed." Riku nodded towards the two girls, still sizing them up with a cautious stare.

"And just who are they, anyway?" Riku pointed to them. "How did they manage to find the Tower?" At this, the teal haired woman spoke up again.

"We didn't find it by searching," she said. "When the Princess and her daughter left to combat this threat, we attempted to follow using a Sailor Teleport." She shook her head. "But while entering the Realm of Sleep, we were accosted by some evil presence, which separated us from our fellow Sailor Soldiers."

"That's where you come in," the blonde soldier said. "We need your help to get in there and protect our friends." Riku nodded.

"I think I can do that..." he said. "Oh, but uh... Who are you two?" They both smiled, and the teal-haired girl giggled a little.

"Sorry about that," the blonde one said. "My name's Haruka Tenou, and this is my partner Michelle Kaiou. When we're in our Sailor Soldier outfits like this, though, you should call us Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune." Riku nodded.

This was gonna be an interesting adventure...

As this was going on, Fisheye made laps around the center staging area, giggling like mad at the other two men who were there with him. Bouncing off of the ball he had been riding around on, Fisheye took a moment to bow to the audience. The other nightmarish denizens of the circus cackled and howled like hyenas. The noise was reaching its crescendo when a booming voice echoed out over the entire arena.

"Quiet! I said _quiet_!" Immediately, everyone but the Amazon Trio bowed and began to vanish on stone columns which just sank into the floor. At the tip of the trunk of a large, evil-looking elephant statue, a puff of smoke burst out, and then vanished as Ringmaster Zirconia appeared. "Good... Now, Amazon Trio!"

"Yes, Master Zirconia?" the trio trilled, each bowing before the wrinkled old ringmaster.

"It occurs to me that you have now had two chances to capture Pegasus," she began, "and in both instances you've failed. How can you expect me to be forthcoming in rewards when you do nothing to earn them?" Fisheye danced out in front of the other two.

"Don't worry, grand Zirconia!" he said. "I'll take this next assignment, and you'll see that we can accomplish this task you've given us!" Zirconia eyed the ball rider, and then tossed him a photograph.

"I should certainly hope so, Fisheye..."

* * *

"This place is beautiful!" Serena cried out, turning in a circle to get a panoramic view of the landscape. The Dive had dropped them off at the summit of a small mountain, and she and Rini were taking in the sights. Sora wasn't as impressionable as they were, mostly because he'd been to so many different worlds before that the newness kinda wore off. It was still beautiful, though, he had to agree.

"Say, I wonder what could be wrong in this world..." Rini said. "Everything's so beautiful and peaceful, what could we possibly need to fi-" A loud boom and the sight of birds fleeing the scene of the source caught their attention.

"That sounded like a gunshot..." Sora muttered. Guns? This place was too wild for guns. What was going on? "Come on, girls. Looks like there's trouble in paradise." Racing down the cliffs, they caught sight of a huge excavation site, with many people mining and digging. Some were at a stream, panning for something. A large man in a purple outfit, followed closely by a man in yellow and a pug, seemed to be the overseer of the operation. Sora strode right up to him, Serena and Rini in tow. "Hey, what's going on here? Why're you digging up all this land, and what was that noise earlier?" The man gave Sora a surprised once over, then the girls.

"I do not recognize you from my ship," he said. "Though clear as day you are not savages. I can tell from the color of your skin... though your clothes are certainly foreign to me." Sora blinked. Savages? Did he mean the Nightmares?

"What... What'd these savages look like?" he asked. "Were they all kinds of bright colors and look like crazy animals?" The man gave him a funny look.

"What are you talking about, lad?" he said. "No, they were not bright colors at all! Their skin was coppery, but they had our shape and stature! They were not monsters from one of your silly fairytale books- they were savage natives! Out to kill us and take all the gold in this land for themselves." Sora rolled his eyes and turned to the girls.

"Well, we found out what's wrong with this world..." Serena and Rini nodded, and they all turned to leave. The man gawked after them.

"Where are you children going?" he asked. "It's dangerous out there! The woods are crawling with-" Sora waved a hand over the back of his head and the three of them disappeared into the the forest.

"Yeah yeah," Sora grumbled. "Crawling with the natives you're displacing..." Rini stuck out her tongue.

"Oh, yuck!" she said. "What a creep!" Serena nodded.

"Definitely not my idea of a good boss, either..." she said. "Did you see all that hard work they were doing? I could never do something like that. I need a job where I can eat lots, sleep in every day, and get paid tons!" Sora looked at her funny and Rini put her palm to her forehead.

"I can't believe I'm related to you, Serena..." Sora sighed, and then stopped. A twig broke, and his senses were on high alert.

"Hello?" he called. "Is someone out there?" Rustling in the bushes followed the snapping of more twigs. "Show yourself!" A young woman, her skin a rich coppery color and long flowing black hair, stepped out of the brush. She wore an animal hide tunic, and a blue choker around her neck. A humming bird followed her, a raccoon not too far behind. She regarded the three heroes silently.

"Oh, it's a girl," Serena said, eyes sliding shut as she sighed in relief. "For a minute there, I was worried it was gonna be a monster!" The woman's eyebrows furrowed.

"You don't think I'm a monster?" she asked. Serena, Rini, and Sora all shook their heads.

"Why would we?" Sora asked. "You don't look anything like a monster!" The woman smiled.

"I'm glad to hear that," she said. "My name is Pocahontas. I am actually here because of the strange noise I heard earlier. I'm almost certain it was those strange, pale outsiders..." She covered her mouth and looked at them. "That is to say... those _other_ strange, pale outsiders..." Serena and Rini blinked, and Sora laughed.

"Well, Pocahontas, it's nice to meet you!" he said. "I'm Sora, and this is Serena and Rini." The two girls waved at the young native woman when they heard their names, and Pocahontas bowed her head slightly. "We're here looking to fix something that's going wrong around here. Do you have any ideas about what that might be?" Pocahontas' face took on a look of grim determination.

"Yes," she said. "Those people are destroying our beautiful Earth-mother, and it must be stopped right away!" Sora nodded.

"I knew we'd found out what was wrong the moment I met that guy." Serena and Rini nodded. "So, what can we do to help?" Pocahontas gripped her chin in thought.

"I should take you to speak with my father, the Chief," she said. "He needs to see that not all outsiders seek to ruin beautiful nature." Sora, Serena, and Rini all nodded in agreement.

"Just lead the way!"

Meanwhile, in a secluded pool at the foot of a waterfall, Fisheye giggled. He was prancing about on the rocks of the pool, dressed in a bleached white gown that flowed like water. This job was by far the most fun he had had in a long time. The target wasn't too bad looking, either. Blonde, strong chin, gorgeous eyes... He put a hand to his chest, the other on his cheek.

"Beat still my heart, he's such a hunk," he said. "It's too bad he's a job, otherwise I might take him home as a hobby!" Rustling in the brush near the edge of the pond where he was alerted him to a foreign presence. Turning around slowly, he silently called up a pair of Fishboné to patrol the area while she looked toward the forested bank. He approached the shoreline and feigned a look of innocent exploration. "Is someone there?" A man, wearing a steel breastplate and carrying a long rifle stepped out. Fisheye smirked to himself. _Gotcha, pretty boy..._

"Hello, miss," he said. "I saw you from afar, and I thought you might be a fairy or some other storybook thing. I did not think anyone but the natives roamed these wilds." Fisheye gave the guy his best bat of his lashes and giggled, turning away.

"You thought I... was a fairy?" he said, playing coy to lure his target closer. It worked, and the man started to come closer, stepping on the stones he had previously been prancing on. "I'm very flattered... Might I ask your name, stranger?"

"My name is John Smith," he said. "And yours?" He was close enough now, Fisheye could reach out and stroke his chiseled chin if he wanted. Instead, he giggled again and held out his hand.

"My name is Fiona," he said. John reached out for it, only to recoil the moment he touched it. Fisheye tilted his head. "What's wrong? Is something the matter?" John Smith eyed him warily.

"You hand feels as cold and clammy as fish scales!" he said. Fisheye took a step back in shock, and stood on the water. "And look! You stand on water with no support! You're no fairy, you're a monster!" Fisheye glared at Smith.

"That's not a very nice thing to say," he said, calling down the changing curtain and assuming his normal attire. "Besides, no one asked for your opinion, buddy." John looked bewildered at the sudden and outlandish change in clothing, which gave Fisheye the opening he needed. Smiling like the Cheshire Cat, he snapped his fingers. "One!" The red slab burst from the water with an icy splash. "Two!" Cold metal cuffs held the stunned Smith firmly in place. "Three!" Light formed in the center of his chest as the mirror reflecting his dreams began to form above him. In the bushes, Pocahontas held up a hand to stop the three following her.

"What's up? Do you hear more settlers nearby?" Sora asked. Pocahontas shook her head.

"No, worse," she said. "I hear the sounds of a man being tortured." Serena, Rini, and Sora exchanged glances. The girls nodded and ran off, while Sora ran ahead. Pocahontas looked between them. "Where are you all going?" she followed Sora as he came upon the pool. Fisheye sneered at him, and then laughed as Pocahontas followed in tow.

"Oh, got yourself a guide, do ya?" he said. "That won't help you with my little fish friends!" The two patroling nightmares reared up, preparing to defend their master. Sora, however, made quick work of them with the Keyblade. The two Nightmares had provided just enough of a distraction, though, for Fisheye to stride up to his target and plunge his head into the mirror. John grunted in pain, twisting and struggling against the cuffs. Pulling his head out, Fisheye put a finger to his cheek. "How tacky. A settler with dreams of exploring a wild and untamed country, wind at his back and a friend at his side... Cliche." Sora bristled.

"How can you say that?" he shouted. "Every dream is special, because it belongs to someone who cherishes it and hopes to see it come true someday! Dreams make us who we are." Fisheye snorted.

"Dreams are nothing but an intangible reminder of an impossible goal, if what I've seen is any indication." Sora looked shocked. Fisheye bit a finger as he glanced at Smith. "Eventually, there won't be anymore untamed wilds, no more wind at your back... and maybe not even any friends..." Sora's gaze softened.

"Don't you... know what it's like to have a dream?" he asked. Fisheye shot him an icy glare and brandished several throwing knives. Tossing a few in Sora's direction, none of them came close to hitting their marks.

"I don't care what it's like to have a dream, Key-brat!" he screamed. Shaking with anger, Fisheye stamped a foot and his shadow extended. "Arrise, my talented tightrope Nightmare, Tsunawataro!" A brief flashing marking appeared, and then the shadow stood up, defining itself and becoming a kelp green man with a black nightcap and forest green overalls. The Nightmare Sigil looked to be tatooed across its chest, and it laughed as it made its entrance, a large pole rising from the ground, which it then climbed. Sora looked at it, watching it for any kind of hostile behavior.

"Greetings," it said, voice garbled and synthetic. "I am Tsunawataro, and I am here for your entertainment and viewing pleasure!" Sora tilted his head. This was... once weird enemy... It managed to position itself on one foot at the top of the pole, and then clapped its hands. "Now, do I have any volunteers for this act? It absolutely requires two people." From the ground, a thick rope began to pull itself taut , catching Pocahontas along with it.

"Sora!" she called out, attempting her best to remain balanced. A short pole with cushioned ends dropped from the sky, one for the monster and one for Pocahontas. The monster cackled with glee, and then began to advance on the helpless young woman.

"Come on, girly, this is what we in show business call 'Tightrope Jousting'!" it said. "We use these batons to try and knock each other off, and whoever falls is the loser!" Sora grit his teeth and looked around. Plenty of trees for Flowmotion. He ran towards one as fast as he could as the monster reached Pocahontas. "Oh, sorry, thanks for playing, but I think you're chances of winning are plummeting!" Rolling into the tree, Sora bunched himself up, tensing all of his muscles and taking aim. Pocahontas backed up as fast as she could, but with a quick swipe, the monster had batted her off balance. Yelling as she fell, a great rush of wind followed Sora as he snatched Pocahontas from the air as she fell. Landing with only a slight 'thud', he dusted himself off and offered the young native woman a hand.

"Are you okay?" he asked. She nodded, but behind them, the monster fumed.

"Hey, that's not part of the game!" it said, stamping its foot on thin air. "You're cheating!" Sora smirked, and rolled his shoulders.

"Who gives a hoot, you weirdo?" he said. "You're next on my list!" as he said this, another baton fell from the sky and into his hands, a preface to the rope which drew out of the ground, creating an intersection with the original one where the acrobatic Nightmare was standing.

"And you're next up to be our contestant!" it said, laughing like a madman. As it did, a glowing disc raced past them and severed the original tightrope, and giving Sora enough of a heads up to jump when it circled back around to cut the other rope. The Nightmare floundered in the air as its tightrope fell, before faceplanting unceremoniously into the dust. Sora landed on the tips of his fingers and toes, rolling into a crouched position and looking for the source of his aid. From the brush, Sailor Moon and Sailor Mini-Moon stepped out, hands on their hips.

"Stop where you're at, you heinous highrise henchman!" yelled Sailor Moon. "Being in a position where people look up to you should be a way to lead by example, not a way to put others down. I simply will not tolerate such villainy! I fight for love, and I fight for justice too. I am Sailor Moon!" Mini-Moon joined her in their tag-team pose.

"And I am Sailor Mini-Moon!" They performed it in unison, as they always did. Sora wondered if they ever changed it up. "And in the name of the Moon... we'll punish you!" The monster tried to set itself right so it could stand, but the fall had apparently winded it pretty badly. Sora nodded over at Sailor Mini-Moon, who nodded back and knelt down on one knee. "Please, Pegasus, protector of dreams!" Holding aloft her bell, she called out to him. "Crystal Twinkle Yell!"

In a radiant flash of light, Pegasus whinnied and cantered into the sky. The golden glow of his horn became the golden glow of Sora's Keyblade, and Sailor Moon's Kaleido-Moon-Scope Wand began to sparkle. Brandishing his Keyblade, Sora unsealed the Nightmare sigil from the chest of the monster, and Sailor Moon knelt down, thrusting her wand at the monster and chanting 'Moon Gorgeous Meditation'. The thing barely had time to register what had happened before it crumbled like glass and wailed some garbled gibberish that sounded close to 'STAGE OUT!'. Jumping up and down, Sailors Moon and Mini-Moon were cheering for their victory. Meanwhile, Sora looked to see Pocahontas attempting to rouse the unconscious John Smith. Head in her lap, Sora smiled as he saw the bright future of this world right there in front of him. Behind him, the face of the waterfall began to glimmer, and the outline of a Keyhole made itself apparent just behind the torrent. Sora pointed his Keyblade at the new pathway, and as the gateway was unlocked, cascades of crystal clear droplets showered the area in rainbows.

"Yeah... This world is gonna be just fine, I know it!"

* * *

The place was cold, and dark, and seemed to have no ceiling or floor or walls. Only endless pathways floating in midair. In front of a mirror at the end of one path, a pale woman with blood red lips stared at her reflection, utterly entranced. Her forehead touched the icy glass, and she whispered, her breath not even fogging the glass as she spoke.

_Dream, dream, don't doubt it. A dream of dreams that dreaming children have..._


End file.
